Building



P 1941- R. c. HANSEN 2,256,050

R. C. HANSEN BUILDING Sept. 16, 1941.

Filed Ag. 28, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STTES 'EN OFFICE 6 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to a portable house structure, and has special reference to a so-called fiower house 01 greenhouse for the growing of fiowers and plants.

This application is a continu ation-in-part of an application, Serial No. 254,789, filed February 6, 1939, for Ventilator and roof support, upon which application Letters Patent No. 2183,645 issued Dec. 19, 1939.

An object of the invention is to provide a portable building, the parts for which may be contained in cartons ready for assembling.

Another object is to provide a portable building consisting of a few simple parts which may be practically completely assembled by one man without assistance.

A urther object is to provide a portable building consisting of a plurality of identical parts, such as identical foundation pieces, identical wall panels, identical roof panels, identical rafters, etc. with which prefabricated parts a building may quickly and easily be constructed.

A further object is to provide a portable building which may be assembled without the assistance of a skilled mechanic or carpenter, and with the use of a few smple tools.

A stil1 further object is to provide a flower house or greenhouse which is rugged and strong when assembled, and which will harmonize with any sty1e of home architecture.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds in conneotion with the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the drawins are iilustrative only and that various changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention; and I deem myself entitled to all such changes and modifications as all within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings:

Fgure 1 is an elevation view of a greenhouse constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the greenhouse shown in Figure 1 with portions broken away to show details of construction.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing details of construction and the manner of assembling the foundation and wal1s of the building.

Figure 5 is aperspective view of an individual wal1 section.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspeotive view of an astragal or beaded joint.

Fgure '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-! of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the underside of a rafter.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the top sicle of a rafter.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the ventilating unit illustrating the manner of securing the rafters and roof sections thereto.

The drawings illustrate the principles of their-1- vention as appliecl to a twelve-sided house having eleven identical wal1 sections and one doorframe secton. The foundation is begun with a set of trapezoidal members l laid in edge-to-edge relationship to form a polygon as shown in Figure 4. Superimposed upon the lower members i is a second set of trapezoidal members 2 arranged in overlapping relationship with respect to the members I, so as to break the joints, as illustrated in Figure 4. The trapezoidal members 2 have raised edges 3 a1ong their inner sides for purposes which will presently appear. It is noted that the lower members l are arranged with their short bases outwardly, and that the upper members 72 are arranged with their longer bases outwardiy. The members I and 2 are rnaintained permanently in the desired relationship by means of dowels 4.

Identical wall sections 5, and the door section 5, are secured in upstanding relationship on the foundation members 2, resting thereon and abut ting the raised edges 3 in the manner shown in Figure 4.

Beaded rnolding joints, or astragals, are secured between the wal1 sections 5 in the manner shown in Figures 4 and 7, the astragal itself being shown in Figure 6. This oonstructioh forms a rigid and weather tight corner at each of the angle points of the house. 'Ihe various wal1 sections are retained in position by means of three types of tie plates, 8, 9 and 11), the three bolt tie plate 8 being used to attach the doorframe section, the four bolt tie plate being used between adjacent identical wall sections, and the T-shaped tie plate I0 being used at the tops of al] these sections. Each T-shaped tie p1ate I has an upwardly-directed tongue H thereon for attaching a rafter.

The manner of attaohing the upper, or T-shaped, tie plate lil to the rafter l2 is best shown in Figure 8. Figure 9 shows a top view of a;ra fter |2 with tie plate IE) atta ohed thereto as shown in Figure 8. Rafter 12 is of inverted T shape in section, having a raised portion or rib I3 running the length of the rafter, and. having a side portion or fianee I4 on each side of said rib, providing a supporting surface for a roof panel. The supporting flange or side portion M contains a groove I5 adjacent the rib I3 to provide a water runway to keep ran from seeping through the roof. The upper ends of the rafters are provided with means or attachment to the ventilator IB. The ventilator I6 is provided with an upper flange 24 and a lower flange 26, between Which flanges the upper ends of rafters I2 are received and secured. Aligned openings 21 are provided in the upper and lower flanges to receive the bolts 25, there being twice as many bolts as there are rafters, so that the rafters I2 may be secured by alternate bolts.

'I'riangular roof panels I'| are supported upon the rafters I2 as shown in Figure 1, the upper end of each roof panel being received and secured between the ventilator flanges in the same manner as rafters I2. The apex of each triangular panel fits between the converging rdges or ribs I3 on adjacent rafters and is secured by the alternate bolts 25 notused for securing rafters. Figure 3 shows one manner of constructing the roof panel for use in a greenhouse, the triangular frame i8 containing transparent panels I9 in overlapping relatonship as shown.

The door section 6 is provided with a door 2l, and is similar to a wall section 5 in the preferred embodiment llustrating a greenhouse, both the door and wall sections being provided with glass panels 22 for admitting sunlight.

Hinged panels as shown at 23 maybe provided for ventilatiori in addition to the Ventilator Hi. If stil] further ventilation is desired, the roof panels I'| may be propped up somewhat at the lower ends, by virtue of the single bolt attachment at the upper end, as shown under the cutaway portion of Figure 2.

While the invention has been illustrated in the preferred embodiment as applied to a twelvesided greenhouse havingglass panels at the top and. sides, I dstinctly do not want to be restrcteol to a greenhouse, or to a building of any specific number of sides. Buildings may be construoted according to the present invention having either more or less than twelve sides, and having either an odd or an even number of sides. The sdes may be provded with openings instead of transparent panels, or they may be constructed solidly without either openings or transparent panels, if desired.

It will be seen that the same identical wall seotions may be used for building a house of any desred number of sides, the number of sides or wall sections determining the sZe of the house. Thus, a mill manufacturing parts for various sizes of portable houses would not be required to manufacture and stock more than one size of wall section. The astragals for a particular house are shaped to provide the proper angle between wall sections, it being found commercially desirable to standardize on certain sizes, such as nine sided houses and twelve sided houses. The same wall sections would be used in the twelve sided house as in the nine sided house, but the other parts, in general, would have to be made difi'erently, because of the difference in the interior angles between the sides.

In order to enable a person to construct a house according to the principle of the present invention, I shall now briefly descrbe the method of assemb ins h varus a l s an s s in r er to provide a completely erected house of the type illustrated. It is intended, in the first place, that the p-arts will be provided in cartons convenient to handle, with similar parts packed together, and the hardware contaned. in burlap bags. The correct number of parts for the house will be contained in the cartons and bags, and all parts will be in finished condition, requiring no further shapng or sawing. It has been found desirable to provide the wood members with a primer coat of paint.

The first step in construction is the laying of the foundation. Ths is done according to Figure 4, securing the members I and 2 in the manner pr eviously described, by means of dowels 4. An astragal 'l may be nailed to each wall section 5, and to the door frame section 6; whereupon, the various sections may be bolted together, one by one, by means of the tie plates 8 and 9 in the manner illustrated in Figure 4. After the sides are completely bolted in place, the tie plates [0 may be attached, one to each rafter, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. Two rafters may be bolted on diametrically opposite sides of the ventilator 16, and. the ventilator and the two rafters may then be raised nto position, and the tie plates I on the lower ends of the two rafters bolted to the tops of appropriate wall sections. Thereafter, the rafters may be bolted in place, one by one, until the roof framework is completed and ready for the roofpanels. Roof panels I'| may then be laid in place and attached by their single bolt securing means, shown in Figure 2. With the hanging of the door 21 the greenhouse is then completed, all with small expenditure of eiort, without shapng or sawing, and without the assistance of a sklled mechanic or carpenter. In addition, most of the work of assembling can be done by one person working alone, assistance being required only in connection with the placement of the frst few rafters.

Ths invention may be used either in ts entirety or in part, and either with or without modification, in any construction requirng a portable house assembled from prefabricated parts; and I doem myself entitled to all such uses, modifications, and .Variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I-Iaving now described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protest by Letters Patent is:

1. In a house constrction, a foundation of polygonal form comprising a set of trapezoidal elements, one for each side of said polygon, said elements having their short bases outwardly, a second set of trapezoidal elements overlyng said first set and. attached thereto in overlapping relationshp with their long bases outwardly, and a plurality of identical wall panels, one of said wall panels being supported in upstanding relation by each element of said second set of trapezodal elements.

, 2. Ahouse construction of equilateral polygonal form having more than four sides, comprising a pluralty of lower foundation mernbers dispsed inedge-to-eclge relationshp and unattached to each other, a plurality of upper foundation membersdisposed in edge-to-edge relationship and unattachecl to each other, means for directly attachng each lower foundation member te two upper foundation members and each upper foundation membr to two lower foundation members, and. a plurality:of identioal wall panels, one of said wall panels bein g"sup ported in upstandng relaton on each of sad upper foundation members.

3. A corner construction for a portable house havng individual wall sections, comprsing a beaded. astragal fitting between adjacent wal1 sectons ano1 formng a corner moulding, an angular te plate untng the tops of said adjacent wall sectons ancl retanng sad astragal therebetween, an upwardly-drected tongue on sad te plate, and a rafter secured to saol upwardlyclreoted tongue.

4. A house construction comprsing a pair of aoljoining wall sectons, a tie plate connecting said sections, an inwarclly-drected tongue on said te plate for attaching a rafter, and a rafter secured to said tongue, sad rafter havng a longitudinal, upstandng ridge and laterally extending flanges at the base of sad rdge for supporting roof panels over each of said wall sectons, triangular roof panels received between said rafters and supported upon sad flanges, and longtudinal grooves on the top surface of sad flanges for draining water from the joint between said rafter and said roof panels.

5. In a greenhouse, wall sections arranged to form a polygon, rafters secured at ther outer ends to the tops of the wall sectons at the apces of the polygon and secured at ther inner ends to a common central member, and trangular roof panels containing panes of transparent materal supported on said rafters and pvotally attached only 1:0 sad central member whereby the roof panels may be raised at ther outer ends, said panes of transparent material beng dsposed in overlapping relation.

6. In a greenhouse, wal] sectons arranged to form a polygon, rafters securecl at ther outer ends to the tops of the wall sectons at the apices of the polygon and secured at ther inner ends to a common member, each said rafter havng a longtudnal, upstanding rdge and laterally extendng flanges at the base of said rdge, and triangular roof panels supported on sad flanges and pivotally attached only to sad common member whereby the roof panels may be raised at ther outer ends.

RAY C. I-IANSEN. 

